{"id":76807,"date":"2025-05-05T15:44:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T15:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/76807\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:44:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T15:44:04","slug":"doctor-whos-moral-lectures-are-becoming-harder-to-justify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/76807\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who’s moral lectures are becoming harder to justify"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Doctor
\n\t\tIt\u2019s gotten weird and wacky, which is Doctor Who at its best (Picture: BBC Studios\/Disney\/Bad Wolf\/James Pardon)<\/p>\n

Doctor Who<\/a> is having a sensational season, despite the naysayers, but I worry that there are clouds on the horizon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because as good as things have been, the show would be even better if it trusted the audience to understand the moral lesson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ncuti Gatwa<\/a> has returned for a vibrant second spell as the Doctor opposite new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu<\/a>), whose one goal is to get back home. There\u2019s just one problem \u2013 the Tardis can\u2019t take her there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So far, so exciting. In this series already, the space-and-time-travelling duo have been turned into cartoons, Belinda has almost died, and there\u2019s even been an almost-forced marriage with a vengeful machine. Essentially, it\u2019s gotten weird and wacky, which is Doctor Who at its best.<\/p>\n

But in the latest episode written by Pete McTighe, Lucky Day, there\u2019s a hint of a potential issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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During Lucky Day<\/a>, we checked in with season one companion Ruby Sunday with a poignant portrayal by Millie Gibson of her PTSD after travelling on the Tardis and joining UNIT on her return to Earth.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"TITLE:Doctor
\n\t\tConrad (Jonah Hauer King) who reveals his true colours pretty quickly (Picture:BBC Studios\/Bad Wolf\/Lara Cornell)<\/p>\n

She forms a romantic connection with podcaster Conrad (Jonah Hauer King<\/a>) who reveals his true colours pretty quickly \u2013 he\u2019s actually a conspiracy theorist who believes UNIT is faking the existence of alien life and is determined to take them down.<\/p>\n

After the villainous Conrad is apprehended at the end, the Doctor flies in for one last monologue where he berates the former for his harmful behaviour, telling him he\u2019s \u2018special for all the wrong reasons\u2019.<\/p>\n

During his speech, the Doctor, who portrays himself as standing up for ordinary people, slams \u2018cowards weaponising lies\u2019 for \u2018taking people\u2019s insecurities and fears and making it currency\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t<\/video><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a powerfully acted moment from Ncuti (which just about salvages it for me), but the content of the speech itself does leave something to be desired.<\/p>\n

It almost feels like unnecessary repetition, hammering home the point of the episode, by directly addressing the viewer, rather than conveying the message via action and dialogue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The on-the-nose explanation, as though it doesn\u2019t trust the viewers to understand the themes of the episode, could have been improved by focusing on the Doctor\u2019s wrath at his friend being hurt and defending Ruby.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Doctor
\n\t\tIt seemed strange to explain to Belinda (left) why they weren\u2019t allowed to sit in a certain section (Picture: James Pardon\/BBC Studios\/Bad Wolf)<\/p>\n

And perhaps the monologue would have landed better if it didn\u2019t feel like there was similar scripting in nearly every episode this season, banging the point over the audience\u2019s head.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sometimes it is needed, but sometimes the context can do the talking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, in Lux, although addressing segregation in 1950s<\/a> America is necessary (and it\u2019s powerful for the Doctor to stand against it), it seemed strange to explain to Belinda why they weren\u2019t allowed to sit in a certain section, when she would surely already know \u2013 it was a small moment that came across as unnatural.<\/p>\n

And in Robot Revolution we\u2019re told that Al is an incel despite all the creepy behaviour that we saw just half an hour earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Christmas special, Joy to the World<\/a>, it\u2019s made clear multiple times that the Doctor is lonely, only for Joy to use her final words to tell the Doctor he is\u2026 you guessed it\u2026 lonely.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"TITLE:Doctor
\n\t\tAs a family show, there needs to be a certain level of exposition (Picture:BBC Studios\/Bad Wolf\/James Pardon)<\/p>\n

The first season is no different from the lengthy speech about loving yourself in Space Babies to both the Doctor and Ruby reiterating the point that Ruby\u2019s biological mum being completely \u2018ordinary\u2019 is the reason why she is so wonderful.<\/p>\n

Of course, as a family show, there needs to be a certain level of exposition to make sure the message is translating to all age ranges but the show has proven its mastery at allegory and subtextual plotting before with episodes like Boom Town and Dalek which explored the morality of killing an enemy without quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Waters of Mars<\/a>, which reckoned with the Doctor\u2019s dangerous penchant for power trips when left alone too long.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, there are episodes scattered throughout the show where the message is laid out in explicit or even clunky terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"TITLE:Doctor
\n\t\tIt\u2019s what the sci-fi series has always stood for and that shouldn\u2019t go away anytime soon, despite what angry anti-woke critics claim (Picture: BBC Studios\/Bad Wolf\/Lara Cornell)<\/p>\n

However, the impact of the past two seasons\u2019 big moments \u2013 like Dot and Bubble\u2019s outrage and the Doctor\u2019s anger in Lucky Day has been dampened by spoon-feeding the point almost every episode.<\/p>\n

Especially in Lucky Day, where there\u2019s been far more discourse on the impact of UNIT\u2019s perceived untouchability as a military organisation (which will hopefully be explored in the spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea) than on whether Conrad was good or bad by the end (spoiler, he\u2019s bad).<\/p>\n

This is certainly not a criticism of the show\u2019s<\/a> attempt to explore difficult topics, from racism to the dangers of online conspiracy. It\u2019s what the sci-fi series has always stood for and that shouldn\u2019t go away anytime soon, despite what angry anti-woke critics claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But giving a lighter touch to exposition and moral diatribe and more gravitas to the complexities that it offers, while trusting Ncuti\u2019s ability to convey emotion with one simple look, would go a long way in making the episodes flow by without feeling slightly patronised.<\/p>\n

Nor is it asking for it to be thrown out entirely. <\/p>\n

As mentioned, the show does have a long history of making the point explicit. But making it slightly rarer with a nuanced delivery will allow those necessary end-of-episode and small moments to feel all the more powerful.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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